Competition Law and Regulation of Technology Markets

Kevin Coates

The first practitioner work to give full examination to EU Competition Law within the information, communication and media markets

Written by an official in the Directorate General for Competition in the European Commission with prior in-house experience at a global communications firm

Outlines the areas where reform is being considered

Refers to US developments where appropriate, for example, the US Microsoft case, and the Department of Justice business review letter on ex ante standardization.

Competition Law and Regulation of Technology Markets

Kevin Coates

Description

The influence of European Competition Law is global, and Competition Law and Regulation of Technology Markets takes a practical, integrated approach to competition law, which is becoming increasingly prominent in the technology sector in Europe - as demonstrated by a number of high profile cases such as Microsoft, Sony/BMG and Intel.

The book focuses on the information, communication and media markets that form the 'new economy'. It provides a coherent analysis of these various markets by considering the regulatory context, and by addressing the issues, and ensuing legal problems, that are common to them. These include; high fixed costs, the importance of intellectual property and standards, the impact of interoperability, and the prevalence of the network effect.

The book considers how EU competition rules interact with regulation, intellectual property law and data protection rules, and goes on to analyze the application of competition rules in four fields; communications networks, industrial intellectual property, creative intellectual property, and electronic commerce and services.. The book charts a clear path through this complex interaction of rules, and provides the competition law practitioner with the necessary tools to advise on legal problems in these sectors.

Competition Law and Regulation of Technology Markets

Kevin Coates

Author Information

Kevin Coates works in the Directorate General for Competition at the European Commission.

Competition Law and Regulation of Technology Markets

Kevin Coates

Reviews and Awards

"Competition Law and Regulation of Technology Marketsr successfully accomplishes an ambitious task, addressing nearly all the important issues and delivering a complete picture of US and EU competition law generally and the impact of the law on technology markets in particular." -Bojana Vrcek, Computer and Telecommunications Law Review

"A comprehensive and valuable study of the application and applicability of competition law in the context of technology markets." -K.Kühnel-Fitchen, The Modern Law Review

"Kevin Coates' well written and concise volume suceeds perfectly in establishing its own niche in this market. The author provides a lucid, well researched and comprehensive overview of the most important issues arising from the interation between competition, intellectual property and regulation." -Ioannis Lianos, World Competition, Law and Economics Review

"This is an excellent treatise on EU and US competition law, intellectual property law, and regulation as applied to technology, information, communication networks and media. Through the technology lens, the book engages with the cutting edge of the law and thus is able to explain the applicable legal principles, and the critical US/EU divergences, clearly and insightfully. The book promises to be invaluable to practitioners, enforcers and students alike." -Professor Eleanor M. Fox, Walter J. Derenberg Professor of Trade Regulation, New York University School of Law

"Apart from its substantive depth, this book benefits from a fluent writing style: for a book on the law, its a real page-turner. For someone interested in the topic of technology markets and competition law, this book is no remedy for sleeplessness. It races through the key topics in a rather exciting way, without sacrificing substance. Not an easy feat." -Concurrences

"Kevin Coates had set a new standard for competition law texts with this excellent contribution, which should be read by all US and European competition, telecoms and Internet lawyers and economists. The insightful commentary is authoritative and decisive on current controversies, and the breadth of subject matter sets this apart: from Google mergers and privacy issues, to interconnection and network neutrality, to exhaustive examination of the Microsoft cases set against Intel, to 3G standards and FRAND, to software, interoperability and copyright. The most advanced competition cases are almost invariably in technology markets, and this is an indispensable guide, with an excellent blog http://technologyandregulation.com/ covering updates" -Chris Marsden, University of Essex

"This is a thorough and thoughtful review by someone who is extremely well informed and an excellent exposition and analysis of the issues and challenges facing the IT sector. I will have this book on my desk at all times, and it is a "must have" for all ICT lawyers." -Maurits Dolmans, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

"...this book fills a sorely-felt gap." -Ahmet Fatih Ozkan, European Competition Law Review

"...a very valuable work and will become a leading text in the field...of particular interest for academics, antitrust enforcers, regulators and policy makers." -Riccardo Sciaudone, Internaitonal Journal of Law and Information Technology

"Coates has sought to tackle complex questions in a lively, exhaustive and stimulating manner, and has succeeded in making a key contribution to the debate in this area, which is going to stretch for several years in the future." -Arianna Andreangeli, Common Market Law Review